Mario Peña

Mario Peña is a Managing Partner at Carao Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in San José, Costa Rica. Prior to co-founding the firm in 2012, he served as an investment banker and financial advisor, managing complex corporate finance transactions across Latin America valued at over $500 million. Through Carao Ventures, Peña has directed early-stage investments into a portfolio of more than 25 regional startups, including notable emerging companies like Huli and Speratum. Before transitioning into venture capital, he held senior analytical roles at prominent financial institutions and earned his academic credentials from the University of Costa Rica and INCAE Business School. In addition to his primary investment duties, he actively serves on multiple corporate boards. Peña currently focuses on sourcing and scaling pre-seed and seed-stage technology enterprises across the Andean and Central American markets.